A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

"put."

Huo Qingluan's right hand fell.

Three ballistae were simultaneously released, and thick bolts flew from the city wall with a teeth-grinding whistling sound, heading straight for the white camel five hundred paces away.

The soldiers guarding the city wall held their breath.

Huo Qingluan did not blink.

She wasn't concerned with whether the shot hit the target.

She wanted to see if the Black Flag Army would become chaotic.

The first arrow arrives first.

Just as a guard beside the golden-crowned man raised his shield, a crossbow bolt pierced through it, knocking the man and shield to the ground.

When the guard fell, the two black-armored cavalrymen behind him were also knocked to the ground.

The second arrow went half a foot lower, but struck the white camel's front leg squarely.

The tall white camel cried out and knelt down, its massive body crashing into the sand, while the golden-crowned man on its back was thrown off by half his body.

If the guards hadn't rushed to catch him, he would have fallen right next to the camel carcass.

The third arrow grazed his shoulder armor.

A large section of the black cloak was blown away, and the shoulder armor was also knocked askew.

He didn't die.

Huo Qingluan looked at the image through the telescope, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Pity.

If the wind had been even slightly weaker, that arrow would have pierced his chest.

Shang Wanqing stood behind the crossbow, her face even more pale than hers.

"It's off-center."

She stared at the crossbow bolt that had sunk into the sand, as if someone had stolen her silver.

The lieutenant's throat moved.

"Your Excellency, is the question now whether the arrow killed anyone?"

Shang Wanqing glanced at him.

"Otherwise what?"

The deputy general was speechless.

Huo Qingluan smiled instead.

This is Shang Wanqing.

When others look at the battlefield, they look at the enemy, morale, military orders, and consequences.

She was looking at the crossbow string, the wind direction, the arrowhead, and the aim.

But the battlefield needs people like that.

Because as long as she continues to figure out how to shoot more accurately, the soldiers on the city wall will believe that the 30,000 Black Flag soldiers are not monsters, but just larger targets.

In the distance, a low horn sounded from the Black Flag Army formation.

The camel soldiers in the front row did not charge.

They withdrew.

It wasn't a chaotic retreat, but rather a series of teams moving backward.

The flag bearer waved the black flag, the square formation parted to make way, and the guards dragged the man with the golden crown back to the center of the army. The fallen white camel was also pulled away by several soldiers in black armor with ropes.

At first, no one spoke from the city wall.

Then, someone shouted.

"Refund!"

These two words are like sparks falling into dry grass.

"They've backed out!"

"We hit it! We really hit it!"

"Damn it, weren't they just shouting 'We'll conquer Yangguan Pass'? Why did they run away!"

Some people slapped the wall with the back of their knives, some laughed until their throats were hoarse, and some sat down against the battlements, their hands shaking so much they couldn't even hold a crossbow steady.

Huo Qingluan did not suppress it immediately.

They have to vent their anger.

After being blocked and cursed for three days, and then having a human head delivered to them, the garrison at Yangguan was already feeling extremely frustrated.

She knew very well that soldiers weren't made of iron.

Fear makes one weak.

If you remain weak for too long, you'll eventually kneel.

These three arrows today not only struck the white camel, but also the courage that was being worn down on the walls of Yangguan.

Once the shouting had subsided, Huo Qingluan put down her binoculars.

"Shut up."

The city walls gradually quieted down.

Huo Qingluan pointed to the Black Flag Army retreating in the distance.

"They retreated, but they were not defeated."

The lieutenant was stunned.

"General, they've all retreated..."

"That means the test is over."

Huo Qingluan's voice was very flat.

"They know the ballista can shoot five hundred paces, and they know we dare to fire arrows. Next time they come, they won't put their valuable people in this position."

The lieutenant's joy gradually faded.

He noticed it too.

The Black Flag Army did not cause a disturbance at their camp, did not lose control, and did not take advantage of the situation to attack the city.

This army was even tougher to deal with than they had imagined.

Huo Qingluan was also unhappy.

She would rather the other person had been provoked and had just attacked her directly.

Enraged soldiers are easy to defeat.

Soldiers who can hold their ground after being hit by a volley of bullets are the real troublemakers.

This means the opposing team's commander is also calculating.

Calculate the crossbows of Yangguan, calculate the courage of Xinwu, and calculate when Huo Qingluan will make a mistake.

"Wanqing".

"exist."

"The next batch of crossbow bolts will have an increased range of fifty paces."

Shang Wanqing squatted back down beside the crossbow, her fingers pressing on the crossbow arm, her brows furrowed tightly.

"Add fifty paces, change the angle of the crossbow arm, and reduce the weight of the arrowhead. The shot will be unsteady."

Huo Qingluan looked at her.

"What about shooting camels?"

"stable."

Shang Wanqing answered quickly.

"Camels have big heads."

The soldiers guarding the city wall felt a chill run down their spines.

The way she said it was as calm as if she were discussing what to eat for dinner.

Huo Qingluan nodded.

"Then shoot the camel."

Shang Wanqing stood up, turned around and called out.

"Disassemble the light arrows! Re-sharpen the fletchings! Bring the spare crossbow strings to the city! Disassemble and reload the two ballistae on the east side, and raise the crossbow arms by one inch!"

The craftsmen and armorers immediately sprang into action.

If someone was a step too slow, she would immediately yell at them.

"Are you sharpening an arrow or fixing chopsticks for your dad? It's crooked like that, are you going to shoot it out and feed the sand?"

The craftsman turned pale with fright and quickly started polishing again.

Huo Qingluan glanced at it but did not stop it.

Well said.

What's needed on the city walls now isn't gentle words, but rather for everyone to know what they're supposed to do.

As long as one has work to do, one won't have random thoughts.

That night, Huo Qingluan personally went up the city wall to inspect it.

There was no fire on the city wall, only lamps that covered half of it.

The Black Flag Army camp in the distance was low-profile, and there were far fewer patrol riders than during the day.

It's too quiet.

Huo Qingluan didn't believe it.

These people suffered a loss during the day; they certainly won't just fall asleep like that.

They must be preparing something.

She walked around the west wall to confirm the location of the ballistae, the well guards, and the sandbags at the city gate. She then had her deputy count the bolt boxes of the crossbow piece by piece.

After doing all this, she stopped at the western edge of the stack.

There is sand in the wind.

She raised her hand to block it, and was about to turn around when her gaze suddenly froze.

A flash of light appeared on the western horizon.

After a moment, it flashed again.

The third time.

Huo Qingluan tightened her grip on the binoculars.

three times.

This was the signal that Nie Yinniang had given her before she left.

Clues have been found.

It wasn't about finding Fang Zhaoru.

It's not like we can come back yet.

But at least it shows that Nie Yinniang is still alive and has not been swallowed up by the Black Flag Army.

The weight that had been pressing on Huo Qingluan's heart for three days finally eased.

She doesn't like to place her hopes on others.

But this time, she had to wait.

Where is Fang Zhaoru? What is the Mountain and River Map? Why did the Black Flag Army dare to lead 30,000 men to press on Yangguan? The answers to all these questions are with Nie Yinniang.

There was no answer; she could fight.

Only with the answer could she know where to shoot.

The guards nearby noticed that she hadn't moved and asked her in a low voice.

"General?"

Huo Qingluan gazed in the direction where the firelight had disappeared and whispered:

"Come back quickly. Before you come back, I'll try my best not to lose all the soldiers who have slept with your man."

The garrison soldiers didn't hear clearly.

"What did the general say?"

"It's nothing."

Huo Qingluan turned and left the city.

Inside the command post, Shang Wanqing was still hunched over her desk drawing diagrams.

Her hair was covered in sawdust, her cuffs were smeared with black ash, and a map of the outer defenses of Yangguan was spread out on the table.

She marked out all the closed gates, old wells, sand dunes, shallow ditches, and abandoned post roads.

The red dot is a ballista.

The black dot represents a crossbow.

The small fork represents kerosene and logs.